8 Days Tarangire to Ndutu & Serengeti – Wildebeest Calving & Big Game

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Your private driver will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel in Arusha. Take the day to unpack, unwind, and meet your safari guide for an evening briefing over a delicious dinner.

Depart early after breakfast for Tarangire National Park. Spend the day exploring the beautiful river valley, famous for its massive herds of elephants roaming past thousand-year-old baobab trees. After a picnic lunch overlooking the wildlife below, enjoy a late afternoon game drive before checking into your lodge.

Set off for the fertile Ndutu region, which sits gracefully on the border of the southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. As you reach the plains, you will immediately see thousands of wildebeest blanket the landscape. Enjoy your first afternoon game drive in this seasonal wildlife hub.

Spend a dramatic full day exploring the short-grass plains. This is the peak calving season, where thousands of wildebeest calves are born daily. Watch the magical first steps of the new-borns and keep a sharp lookout for stealthy predators; cheetahs, lions, and hyenas, who are highly active, capitalizing on the open terrain.

Leave the calving grounds behind as you head north into the heart of Serengeti National Park (Central Seronera Valley). The landscape transitions into beautiful savannah rivers and iconic rock formations called kopjes. Spend the afternoon tracking resident leopards and lions lounging on the warm rocks.

Dedicate today to uncovering the endless horizons of the central Serengeti. Your guide will take you along seasonal riverbanks to watch large pods of hippos cooling off, search for hidden cheetahs in the tall grass, and follow the paths of buffalo and giraffe herds. An optional sunrise hot-air balloon safari can be arranged here.

Enjoy a rewarding final morning game drive in the Serengeti as you slowly make your way back south. After a picnic lunch, ascend the lush, misty slopes of the highlands to the Ngorongoro Crater rim. Check into your lodge to view a spectacular, panoramic sunset over the massive caldera floor below.

Descend 600 meters into the volcanic caldera for an immersive morning game drive. The crater floor is an unmatched wildlife haven where you can easily spot prides of lions, black-maned jackals, and old bull elephants. This is your best opportunity to glimpse the rare, endangered black rhino. After a classic lunch by the hippo pool, drive back to Arusha for your evening flight home.